I didn't get to watch the entire 1st period, but I don't recall really seeing any scrums, which seems weird. Just noticing watching LA/VAN where there is a scrum after every save and a forward is remotely close to the net. Seems like no one was willing to mix it up. Maybe I wasn't paying attention tho.

Also, will one of our guys please hit Couturier? I don't expect hat tricks, but he is all over Malkin and no one seems to care or want to throw him of HIS game.

bhaw wrote:I didn't get to watch the entire 1st period, but I don't recall really seeing any scrums, which seems weird. Just noticing watching LA/VAN where there is a scrum after every save and a forward is remotely close to the net. Seems like no one was willing to mix it up. Maybe I wasn't paying attention tho.

Also, will one of our guys please hit Couturier? I don't expect hat tricks, but he is all over Malkin and no one seems to care or want to throw him of HIS game.

There aren't any scrums on goalie frozen pucks. On offense the Pens never have enough guys crashing the net to get involved in a post-save scrum. On D, all of the defenseman are soft and don't plant people in the crease or give people the business post-whistle.

I think the Islanders exposed the Pens in the same way they are being exposed now. Our North South style is easy prey for people waiting for the turnover. For a while now our games have been turning into shootouts..

Remember when Philly made fun of the Tampa 1-3-1? Pens need to trap. They still have the personnel for that. Go out get a 1-2 goal lead and then play a good hard trap. Tampa did go on to beat Philly that game.

I think there may also be a fatal flaw in that we don't have a single BIG D man. Hal Gill had long arms. He was slow, but you could not get in front of the net with him there.

pens_srq wrote:I think the Islanders exposed the Pens in the same way they are being exposed now. Our North South style is easy prey for people waiting for the turnover. For a while now our games have been turning into shootouts..

Remember when Philly made fun of the Tampa 1-3-1? Pens need to trap. They still have the personnel for that. Go out get a 1-2 goal lead and then play a good hard trap. Tampa did go on to beat Philly that game.

I think there may also be a fatal flaw in that we don't have a single BIG D man. Hal Gill had long arms. He was slow, but you could not get in front of the net with him there.

The Pens forwards get swallowed up along the glass when they attempt to cycle and get zone time behind Philly's net.

The Pens are the tougher team for sure. They were tossing the Flyers all over the place tonight. That's about the only thing I liked from the Pens' game in this one. If the Pens weren't so interested in handing this series to the Flyers, I'd say that's one of the key reasons why they would take this series. But they crapped all that away because they can't play with a lead.

Are there any silver linings? Well, Bryzgalov sucks. Fleury hasn't been stellar either, not that he's in any position to be. He's been so left out to dry it isn't even funny. How many breakaways and odd man rushes have the Flyers had in this series? But Fleury hasn't given up any goals as soft as the one, in a 4-4 game in the third period, that Bryzgalov gave up to TK tonight. That's the kind of goal that should sink a team, but Ben Lovejoy made sure it wouldn't. So there's certainly potential for the powerful Pens offense to victimize Bryzgalov.

And Philly surely can't keep coming back like this. I know they've been doing it all season but in sports you always burn yourself eventually when this is the way you make a habit of playing. Problem with this line of thinking is twofold. First, you also can't expect that the Pens are always going to come out and get big leads, especially since they just wasted their first two and possibly only home games. Second, unlike the Pens, the Flyers actually know how to play with a lead. Philly will come out strong Sunday and Wednesday. They probably will go up early in one or both of those games.

I just hope they don't get swept. Hopefully they have enough pride to at least win a game and make a series of it. I'm not sure what to expect. I used to think this was the type of team that would never let down in the playoffs. They'd always rise to the occasion. They'd have an answer for poor performances. Than game seven against Montreal happened. Then a 3-1 series lead got blown last year. I thought game one of this series was an embarrassment - somehow they managed to top it tonight. So maybe it wouldn't be a surprise if they just go down quietly. They have to just feel defeated at this point. Philly owns them and they know it.

Henry Hank wrote:The Pens are the tougher team for sure. They were tossing the Flyers all over the place tonight. That's about the only thing I liked from the Pens' game in this one. If the Pens weren't so interested in handing this series to the Flyers, I'd say that's one of the key reasons why they would take this series. But they crapped all that away because they can't play with a lead.

Are there any silver linings? Well, Bryzgalov sucks. Fleury hasn't been stellar either, not that he's in any position to be. He's been so left out to dry it isn't even funny. How many breakaways and odd man rushes have the Flyers had in this series? But Fleury hasn't given up any goals as soft as the one, in a 4-4 game in the third period, that Bryzgalov gave up to TK tonight. That's the kind of goal that should sink a team, but Ben Lovejoy made sure it wouldn't. So there's certainly potential for the powerful Pens offense to victimize Bryzgalov.

And Philly surely can't keep coming back like this. I know they've been doing it all season but in sports you always burn yourself eventually when this is the way you make a habit of playing. Problem with this line of thinking is twofold. First, you also can't expect that the Pens are always going to come out and get big leads, especially since they just wasted their first two and possibly only home games. Second, unlike the Pens, the Flyers actually know how to play with a lead. Philly will come out strong Sunday and Wednesday. They probably will go up early in one or both of those games.

I just hope they don't get swept. Hopefully they have enough pride to at least win a game and make a series of it. I'm not sure what to expect. I used to think this was the type of team that would never let down in the playoffs. They'd always rise to the occasion. They'd have an answer for poor performances. Than game seven against Montreal happened. Then a 3-1 series lead got blown last year. I thought game one of this series was an embarrassment - somehow they managed to top it tonight. So maybe it wouldn't be a surprise if they just go down quietly. They have to just feel defeated at this point. Philly owns them and they know it.

Disagree - the Penguins are trying so hard to be the more physical team. They come up and hit a lot but none are truly effective. Watch how the Flyers thwart the Pens offensive attack and then dump, punish and cycle. Much smarter hockey and much smarter physical hockey.

Henry Hank wrote:The Pens are the tougher team for sure. They were tossing the Flyers all over the place tonight. That's about the only thing I liked from the Pens' game in this one. If the Pens weren't so interested in handing this series to the Flyers, I'd say that's one of the key reasons why they would take this series. But they crapped all that away because they can't play with a lead.

Are there any silver linings? Well, Bryzgalov sucks. Fleury hasn't been stellar either, not that he's in any position to be. He's been so left out to dry it isn't even funny. How many breakaways and odd man rushes have the Flyers had in this series? But Fleury hasn't given up any goals as soft as the one, in a 4-4 game in the third period, that Bryzgalov gave up to TK tonight. That's the kind of goal that should sink a team, but Ben Lovejoy made sure it wouldn't. So there's certainly potential for the powerful Pens offense to victimize Bryzgalov.

And Philly surely can't keep coming back like this. I know they've been doing it all season but in sports you always burn yourself eventually when this is the way you make a habit of playing. Problem with this line of thinking is twofold. First, you also can't expect that the Pens are always going to come out and get big leads, especially since they just wasted their first two and possibly only home games. Second, unlike the Pens, the Flyers actually know how to play with a lead. Philly will come out strong Sunday and Wednesday. They probably will go up early in one or both of those games.

I just hope they don't get swept. Hopefully they have enough pride to at least win a game and make a series of it. I'm not sure what to expect. I used to think this was the type of team that would never let down in the playoffs. They'd always rise to the occasion. They'd have an answer for poor performances. Than game seven against Montreal happened. Then a 3-1 series lead got blown last year. I thought game one of this series was an embarrassment - somehow they managed to top it tonight. So maybe it wouldn't be a surprise if they just go down quietly. They have to just feel defeated at this point. Philly owns them and they know it.

We beat Philly in 2008 and 2009. We are kind of "due" to lose one to them. Same with the Caps. At some point we are going to be on the wrong end of one of these playoff series against our bitter rivals.

pens_srq wrote:I think the Islanders exposed the Pens in the same way they are being exposed now. Our North South style is easy prey for people waiting for the turnover. For a while now our games have been turning into shootouts..

Remember when Philly made fun of the Tampa 1-3-1? Pens need to trap. They still have the personnel for that. Go out get a 1-2 goal lead and then play a good hard trap. Tampa did go on to beat Philly that game.

I think there may also be a fatal flaw in that we don't have a single BIG D man. Hal Gill had long arms. He was slow, but you could not get in front of the net with him there.

The Pens forwards get swallowed up along the glass when they attempt to cycle and get zone time behind Philly's net.

Our D is too small/soft to stop puck possession or cycling right now.

Correct, the issue is the Pens have some damn good talent up front making up for too many issues. They score enough to make it close but in hockey IQ the Pens are losing by a mile.

pens2005 wrote:Reading the quotes from Dupuis and Staal, they don't even seem to concerned at all. We need to be a little desperate and we just need to play better?

IMO that is exactly the problem. This team has been taught to play their system and "get to their game", and everything will be fine. That has left out the necessity to adjust for Flyer's changes, which have dominated the Penguins coaching changes (or lack thereof), and led to a 2-0 difference in the series.

pens2005 wrote:Reading the quotes from Dupuis and Staal, they don't even seem to concerned at all. We need to be a little desperate and we just need to play better?

Accurate quotes IMO. All they can do is try to play better, nothing has changed all year vs Philly....they are the superior team, just because we play well doesn't mean we are guaranteed to win either. We could play GREAT on Sunday and still lose.IMO that is exactly the problem. This team has been taught to play their system and "get to their game", and everything will be fine. That has left out the necessity to adjust for Flyer's changes, which have dominated the Penguins coaching changes (or lack thereof), and led to a 2-0 difference in the series.

pens2005 wrote:Reading the quotes from Dupuis and Staal, they don't even seem to concerned at all. We need to be a little desperate and we just need to play better?

With that mindset this series is easily over. How can they not see the seriousness of the situation? How cocky can one team be? How embarrassing!

I think it's the same attitude that had them believing in the switch. They're a Cup tested team but maybe it has made them too calm in the face of adversity. I've said it a bunch, but there's no hunger anymore. It's like they just expect that since they've been in these situations before, they'll be fine. No need to panic, and that's good to some extent. But you have to have some level of urgency. They had that facing elimination against Detroit after getting embarrassed 5-0, after having lost to them the previous year. Maybe, looking at the big picture, an embarrassment here is what they need to refuel that hunger for the next seasons. Every year the Cup win gets more distant and suddenly it's been quite a while since they've even won a playoff series.

They can't compete with Philly's hunger. The Flyers are looking for revenge from 2008 and 2009, however many are still there from then, anyway. You know Jagr badly wants to beat the Pens. I'm sure the same goes for Talbot, even though there are no hard feelings there.

Matt Cooke picked a bad time to revert back to his October/November form. You could replace him with Tangradi or Park and not notice a difference. He's the playoff warrior guy that u need in the postseason. No hitting, no scoring, no offense, no defense, bad PKing. Worthless right now and he used to be one of my favorite pens. Vitale and Asham bringing nothing to the table right now either. Ice time might be the reason but if you didn't have confidence in them then why didn't you add at the deadline?